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For those of us in our shorts and t-shirts walking around the town these past few days, we are in for a shock.  Recent weather reports show that we are due for a return of old man winter this coming Friday with approximately 10 cms of snow.

Over the holidays there was a lot of confusion as to snow plowing on the streets in our ward.  While I was on vacation in Newfoundland for Christmas, I answered a number of emails from people concerned as to when their streets would be plowed.  I think it would be good to review the snow removal policies in advance of this potential storm.  Now, watch there be NO snow on Friday and I look silly.  But at least we will have the information available right?

Click on the map to enlarge it.  This is from the Town of Milton’s site and Ive just put up ward 6.  If you are outside ward 6 click here for the main map.  The streets in our area are classified for different priorities.

The primary or arterial roads (for example in our ward Thompson Road, Fourth Line, Derry Road, Britannia Road) are considered first priority and the plows are sent out based on accumulation.  For instance if we receive under 5 cms of snow or the conditions are icy, the response time will be within 2-3 hours.  If there is 5 to 30 cm of accumulation, the response time will be 2 to 4 hours.

A majority of the roads in our ward will be secondary / collector roads or urban / residential roads (Yellow and Blue on the map)

The response time for 5cms and below of accumulation is 4 to 5 hours and above 5cms is 4 to 10 hours for the secondary collector roads and 8 to 16 hours for many of the residential roads in ward 6.  If you live in a cul-de-sacs it will be a bit longer once the accumulation reaches over 5cms. 

The main priority of the snow plows is to keep the main streets and collector roads as bare as possible.  Its also very important for those residents who have sidewalks to keep them clear as quickly as possible during the snow fall and afterwards.

Here are some links for detailed information on our snow policy.  Just as a reminder to allow for the plow.  Try to keep your cars off the road as to allow for the snow plow to come by without creating issues with snow piles or potentially damaging any vehicles.

Town of Milton Snow Page

Road Plowing Response Times

Now the snow might not come as its being predicted by all of our very nice weather people but in case it does here’s your handy page for information.

Now Im going to get my snow pants ready for Friday!

I’ll see you at the doors.

The Town of Milton has announced new fares for Miton Transit for 2012.  They can be found here.  Included in the link will be locations where you can purchase your transit tickets and passes.

Effective January 1, 2012 the cost for a cash ride for adults and seniors will be $ 3.00.  Adult 10 ticket pass will be $ 24.00 and $ 64.00 for a monthly pass.  Seniors will see the cost of 10 tickets be at $ 17.00 and a monthly pass $ 45.00.

Children under 6 will be free.  Children 6-18 years old (need school ID) will be $ 17.00 for 10 tickets and $ 45.00 for the monthly pass.

For GO Riders, the cost per ride will be $ 0.60 and a monthly pass will cost $ 24.00

If you have any further questions please email transit@milton.ca

Today would have been Sir John A Macdonalds 197th birthday.  Happy Birthday to Canada’s FIRST Prime Minister.

From Wikipedia

Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC (Can), QC (11 January 1815 – 6 June 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century. Macdonald served 19 years as Canadian Prime Minister; only William Lyon Mackenzie King served longer.

Macdonald was born in Scotland; when he was a boy his family emigrated to Kingston, Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario). He articled with a local lawyer, who died before Macdonald qualified, and Macdonald opened his own practice, although not yet entitled to do so. He was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which enabled him to seek and obtain a legislative seat in 1844. He served in the legislature of the colonial Province of Canada and by 1857 had become premier under the colony’s unstable political system.

When in 1864 no party proved capable of governing for long, Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival, George Brown, that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform. Macdonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences, which resulted in the British North America Act and the birth of Canada as a nation on 1 July 1867.

Macdonald was designated as the first Prime Minister of the new nation, and served in that capacity for most of the remainder of his life, losing office for five years in the 1870s over the Pacific Scandal (bribery in the financing of the Canadian Pacific Railway). After regaining his position, he saw the railroad through to completion in 1885, a means of transportation and freight conveyance that helped unite Canada as one nation. Macdonald is credited with creating a Canadian Confederation despite many obstacles, and expanding what was a relatively small colony to cover the northern half of North America. By the time of his death in 1891, Canada had secured most of the territory it occupies today.

Milton Velodrome FAQ’s

Courtesy of www.milton.ca

What is a Velodrome?

•An arena for track cycling (approximately 120,000 square feet)

•A banked oval track consisting of two 180-degree circular bends, connected by two straights (The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement curve)

Multi-purpose Infield

•The infield (middle) of the track can be used for other recreational/event purposes, such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, soccer and trade shows, and is approximately the size of three basketball courts.

Existing Velodromes

•Carson City Velodrome
•Manchester Velodrome
•Manchester Velodrome, infield event

How was Milton selected as the preferred velodrome site for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games?

September 23, 2011

•Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games committee approached the Town of Milton with the possibility to bid for a permanent velodrome

October 12, 2011

•Toronto 2015 committee invited the Town of Milton to submit Expression of Interest

October 17, 2011

•Milton Council resolution to explore two location options – the Milton Education Village as a permanent location and Derry Green Business Park as a temporary location

November 21, 2011

•Council Report: COMS-047-11

•Indication of support received (including letters from Laurier University, the Canadian Cycling Association and land donation)

•Further direction required from Toronto 2015 to reduce capital cost and local host share

December 5, 2011

•Council Report: COMS-050-11

•Milton Council authorized the Town of Milton to commit to funding local share based on a $40-million project

•Next step identified was to engage Sierra Planning to undertake Business Plan

•Required to report back to Council with results of Business Plan and due diligence process

Where is the money coming from to build the velodrome?

•$22 million: Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games organizing committee

•$19.8 million: Local share (includes 44% of the project cost at $40-million, plus site servicing/parking costs)

◦Town of Milton share confirmed at $3.8 million: Re-allocation of funds for future recreational facilities to serve community needs

◦Milton Education Village commitment at $2.5 million: Town of Milton to finance the Milton Education Village commitment; if timing is delayed, a contingency plan will be developed

◦Private sector partnership commitment at $13.5 million: This includes – pledged donations, sponsorship, in-kind services and fundraising support

•Peter Gilgan/Mattamy Group: $9 million committed

•TD Canada Trust: Tim Hockey and team

•Milton Energy and Generation Solutions

•TSAM Investment Group Inc. •GreenLife Energy

•Local suppliers/consultants

•Legal counsel

Where will the velodrome be located?

•Within the Milton Education Village: Louis St Laurent and Tremaine Road

•Adjacent to proposed location for Laurier University

Planned transportation links to the velodrome location:

•Public transit routes

•Cycling lanes on Tremaine Road

•GO station proposed at new Tremaine Road 401 interchange

•Town undertaking Secondary Plan for Milton Education Village and update to Trails/Cycling Master Plan in 2012

What will the velodrome be used for once the Pan/Parapan American Games are finished?

•Sierra Planning and Management, in cooperation with the JF Group have been retained by the Town to undertake a Milton based business plan for the legacy phase of the facility:

◦Discussions have been initiated with local/regional/national/international cycling groups with meetings, surveys and interviews planned to determine demand for the facility.

◦Discussions will be initiated with local sport organizations for infield use potential.

◦The extent of municipal risk associated with business plan projections will be verified.

•The facility will be used for a number of international, national and provincial competitions, creating a positive economic impact on the business community in Milton.

•There will be a significant opportunity for a high performance and local cycling legacy, as well as community recreational use.

What are the Milton velodrome timelines?

•January 2012: Business plan commenced

•Late January 2012: Report to Milton Council on business plan recommendations

•Late January 2012: Binding agreements to be signed following project approval by Milton Council

•Spring/summer 2012: Ground breaking and construction commences

•Summer 2014: Targeted completion date

•June/July 2015: Pan/Parapan American Games

In keeping with my committment to hearing from residents on important issues that we face, the Town of Milton is looking for your input on the possible velodrome proposal that is coming up for councils review later this month.

This effort accomplishes two things.  One is to get the all important feedback from residents on the direction of the town and second is to clear up any questions you may have about it.  Its no secret that I have been a supporter of the idea as well as getting more information on the velodromes potential, its costs and the long term impact on the town of Milton.  I am not 100 per cent on board with this until we “get the numbers”.

I was supportive of the project with the caveat that the impact on Milton taxpayers be minimal to zero (with no impact being my goal) from day one.  I beleive that with this project in place, it will kick start the much needed approval for the Milton Education Village / Laurier University campus on the west side of town.  You can search my blog for “velodrome” to see more of what has been discussed.

Please take some time to visit the Town’s website and provide your input today so that council can be presented with the full picture on the January 23rd meeting when the decision is to be made.  We want to hear from you.  Click on my link to the right to contact your town councillor if you would like to send us your comments directly.  My email is mike@mikecluett.ca

NEWS RELEASE

January 10, 2012

Town of Milton seeks community input on Velodrome

The Town of Milton invites the community to provide input on the proposed Velodrome through the Town’s website, www.milton.ca .

In December 2011, Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games announced Milton as the preferred site for the Velodrome. A business plan is scheduled to be presented to Council on January 23, 2012 after which Council will decide whether or not to proceed with the Velodrome and hosting the Pan/Parapan Am Games.

“We are looking forward to learning from members of the Milton community how this major facility can best meet their recreational needs,” said Town of Milton Mayor Gord Krantz.  “I encourage everyone to visit our website to find out more about this proposed facility and what it can mean for the Milton community.”

The Velodrome webpage will include information on location, funding, timelines, as well as plans for the Velodrome after the Pan/Parapan Am Games. Public input and comments are invited to be submitted through the webpage and will be accepted until January 18, 2012.

For more information or to provide input, visit www.milton.ca/en/townhall/velodrome.asp . 

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For further information, please contact:        

Jennifer Reynolds - Director, Community Services - 905-878-7252, ext. 2180

Liliana Busnello - Communications Specialist – 905-878-7252, ext. 2154

2012 Waste Management Guide & Collection Calendar delivered to homes next week

From the Region of Halton website.

The 2012 Waste Management Guide and Collection Calendar, which has everything you need to know about waste collection in Halton Region, will be delivered to homes starting January 13. The Calendar is effective February 1 and includes a schedule for Blue Box, GreenCart, garbage, bulk and yard waste collection, information on the Halton Waste Management Site and dates for 2012 special events such as Halton’s popular Compost Give Away.

“The 2012 Waste Management Guide and Collection Calendar is a quick reference tool for residents to locate important information about all of Halton’s Waste Management programs,” said Gary Carr, Halton’s Regional Chair. “I encourage everyone to review the calendar to learn more about all of the ways we can work together to reduce, reuse and recycle our waste and continue to extend the life of Halton’s landfill site.”

The 2012 Waste Management Guide and Collection Calendar once again features Halton’s talented young artists who were selected as the Calendar Cover Art Contest winners. This year marked the fourth annual art contest that ran in the fall of 2011 asking children from kindergarten to grade eight to create the 2012 calendar cover using the theme of “you are the difference – reduce, reuse, recycle.” One entry from each of the four Local Municipalities was selected to have their creative design featured on the 2012 calendar cover. Winners include Abril Rebollo from Burlington, Michelle Kozdras and Gabrielle Dimech from Halton Hills, Christine Kilfoil from Milton and Kate Jung (Haram Jung) from Oakville.

If you have not received your Collection Calendar by January 27, please contact Access Halton by dialling 311 or use the online Service Request Tool at www.halton.ca/wastetools. To learn more about waste diversion and receive regular waste collection tips follow us on Twitter @haltonrecycles and read our blog at www.haltonrecycles.ca.

For more information contact Halton Region by dialing 311 or 905-825-6000, toll free 1-866-442-5866, TTY 905-827-9833 or visit www.halton.ca.

The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 500,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; emergency medical services; waste management; public health; Ontario Works (formerly social assistance); children’s and seniors’ services; social/non-profit housing; heritage programs; emergency management and business development. For more information, dial 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at www.halton.ca.

For those residents along 4th Line near Beaty Trail & Menefly Place who are getting increasing frustrated with the detour, you are not alone.  I have over the last few weeks have received a number of complaints from residents in the area who are upset that 4th Line south of Derry towards Clark Blvd has been closed off.

The reason for the closure is that the developer has been doing some tree replacements and some other work in preparation for development at that corner.  This is a piece of land that is close to the new school that will be built (timeline unknown) and a proposed condominium is slated for the area but nothing has been presented to the town in the form of a sight plan yet.  I know residents in the area are concerned about the impact of that development so stay tuned to this blog for more information as it comes available.

The latest delay in the work at on the property is due to weather & soil issues, amongst others.  The new deadline for completion is January 30th and I have been in contact with staff on a regular basis to ensure it stays on schedule.

Here is the notice we received from town staff:

MTE Consultants Inc. has requested that the closure of Fourth Line between Beaty Trail and Menefy Place be extended until January 30, 2012.

The following is a synopsis of the issues that have taken place related to this project which has resulted in construction delays and thus the need for the extension of the road closure.

• Unusual soils conditions and dewater requirements have delayed the installation of the footings for the structure.
• Heavy rainfall events have cost the contractor over a week in down time.
• A 6” gas main was broken during excavation.
• There was a breakdown of the onsite crane used for the culvert installation.

Stay tuned to www.mikecluett.ca for more details as they come.

Pan Am velodrome big issue going into new year

Mayor hopes to see funding commitment for indoor cycling track

From Christina Commisso, Milton Canadian Champion

Mayor Gord Krantz says he has learned more about velodromes in the latter part of 2011 than in his whole life.

That learning curve is expected to continue into this year, as the velodrome is one of many Milton projects on the agenda for 2012.

The long-serving Milton mayor told the Champion in a recent interview that he hopes to see a funding commitment for the indoor cycling track this year — one of his many New Year’s wishes.

“This is a huge international sport and it’s growing. There will be 20 to 25 international meets in Canada each year, and they could happen right here,” he said.

Tourism boom could erupt

The 74-year-old mayor said if the velodrome business plan is approved by Milton council and construction is given a green light, he envisions a hotel or two popping up in the immediate area and a tourism boom for the town. “Tourism is a huge industry in Canada, and we’re looking for our piece of that industry.”

The velodrome is closely tied to the Milton Education Village (MEV). The 150-acre parcel of land at Derry and Tremaine roads will serve as home to the cycling track and to a Laurier University satellite campus if Milton gets its way.

Krantz said he was hoping to see more movement on the MEV campus in 2011, “but I’m far from being naïve,” he said.

“The Province has a cash crunch issue…I can’t blame them for being a little cautious,” adding that he’d like to see the funding come through in the next couple of years.

“Where else are they going to get 150 acres of free land? The Province is roughly 60,000 (post-secondary) spaces short and here we are ready and able and willing to help.”

Mayor wishes for ground-breaking

The mayor’s final wish for the new year is a ground-breaking for the Milton District Hospital expansion, a long-awaited promise that came to fruition this past summer.

As for predictions for 2012, the mayor said one thing will be inevitable in Milton — traffic.

“I’ll apologize for that in advance,” said Krantz, pointing to the Main Street grade separation just east of Ontario Street. “It’s going to cause a disruption and I’ll be the first one to acknowledge that.”

Asked why the Town didn’t plan the construction pre-population boom when the traffic impact would be less intense, Krantz said there was simply no way to fund the $50 million, four-year project.

“Development charges are paying for a huge portion of the project,” he said.

Krantz said while Milton is far-removed from the financial crises taking place around the globe, he believes the Town could feel some of the pinch.

“The federal and provincial governments can have an indirect impact,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if certain government services are downloaded to the municipal level. 

If you follow the Hawthorne Villager forum, you will see there’s been quite the discussion amongst the posters about the potential velodrome in Milton.  There is one more report to go and that will be received by council on January 23rd for review.  As soon as the report is made available online, I’ll post a link.

UPDATE:  I am including links to the Town of Milton’s website for the velodrome reports that council has reviewed during this process.  Please take some time to review them and feel free to email or post here any questions you might have.

Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games – Velodrome Status Report November 21st 2011

Velodrome Status Report, December 5th 2011

If you’ve been following my blog recently, you will have noticed I have posted quite a bit of information on the progress.  Someone tweeted me recently to ask “what does Mike think?”  So here it is.

The basis behind this facility is that its more than just cycling. Its a facility that can be and will be multi purposed. As with those other velodromes others talk about as failures this will provide more than just cycling. Basketball courts, indoor tennis, or if turf there’s indoor soccer, cricket maybe, football practice field (Ticats are you listening?)

As I mentioned during the special council meeting, the $3.8 million has already been budgeted for similar use facilities. Its in the bank so to speak and not coming out of taxes. We have been able to stand above other municipalities in the Greater Milton Area for a reason….partnership with the private sector.

This deal could NOT have been done without the assistance from the private sector. Mattamy is just ONE of the companies involved in the fundraising process for this deal…there are many many more. Tim Hockey, President and CEO of TD Canada Trust who is also an avid cyclist, is getting behind the project personally and will assist in fundraising for the velodrome. The pool of resources isnt just in Milton, its national organizations…international organizations as well that can assist in the fundraising.

That’s where other municipalities failed. They couldn’t harness the power of the private sector in getting things done. We as a council made it very clear that if we were to move forward on this there has to be minimal to NO impact on taxpayers. This can only help in growing our business base … and hence more tax revenue in town.

The Milton Education Village is just one of the keys to that success. The land is ready to go, our partners are ready to go and the provincial government needs to see that by approving Milton as one of the locations for satellite university campuses (as they have already acknowledged) it will go a long way for THEM to keep a promise made in the last election for increasing the number of post secondary spaces in Ontario. This MEV project moving forward can help kick in the pants OTHER things that Milton needs, like an interchange at Tremaine Road so that everyone on the west side of town doesn’t have to drive along Derry and or Britannia to go to the 401 and help with the backlog of traffic that way.

With moving the Canadian Cycling Association here to Milton with this facility we can help increase travel and tourism to the area. Right now we only have 2 hotels. We WILL need more (any entrepreneurs out there?) for when they hold national/international events that’s even more businesses that can benefit…from hospitality to restaurants to local businesses the impact can be huge.

Having the velodrome on campus adds some other benefits that can be looked at for revenue generating possibilities. The parking lot can be used at the university and we can charge a monthly fee for profs using it or what have you. There’s also the matter of the legacy fund set up by the Pan AM games … we don’t know the amount yet, but that should evolve through the business plan process over the next 4-6 weeks.

Is it a done deal? Not yet. ONE more report to go. That report will outline the needs for commitments at all levels so that we feel comfortable the project will stay under $40 million (contingencies are already built into that number) and that we can get the job done with our fundraising partners so that we don’t have to dip into the tax pool on this.

Sorry for the rambling and Im sure Ive missed a few points but I wanted to make sure we let people know that theres one more step in the process before its a go and I can assure you if the numbers don’t add up for me, even though Im excited about the project I wont want to see it move forward.

This town has shown others that we’re not the sleepy town we once were. I watched a Hamilton city council meeting recently when they were discussing their umpteenth attempt at getting it back and the almost disdain in their voices when they mentioned MILton of all places. We aren’t 35,000 people anymore. I know I sound sales-y by saying this but its true. Milton is a force to be paid attention to from now on. This is a project I know we can put together, that can be used for the games and years after so its not abandoned like the others and that it can help kick start the business growth we need in town to add more revenue to the town and to be the “new” centre of the universe in the GMA.

From Margaret Shikmba from the Hamilton Spectator

We dropped the velodrome ball – It’s not just about cycling — it’s about how we see ourselves